A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the department of health and human services, Division of Medical Assistance, to establish a pilot program to evaluate the Use of Telemonitoring equipment for home and community based recipients, And an act to exclude certain adult day care facilities from registration and licensure requirements.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance, shall implement a pilot program to evaluate the use of telemonitoring equipment in home and community based services.  As determined by the Division, the Department shall provide remuneration to home care agencies and other providers for participation in the pilot program.  The pilot program shall be implemented by October 1, 2006, and shall evaluate the use of telemonitoring equipment as a tool to improve the health of home and community based recipients through increased monitoring and responsiveness, and resulting in increased stabilization rates and decreased hospitalization rates.  The evaluation must include a representative number of older adults.  The Department shall report to the Study Commission on Aging by August 1, 2007.  The report shall include findings and recommendations on the cost‑effectiveness of telemonitoring, and the benefits to individuals and healthcare providers.
SECTION 2.  G.S. 131D‑2(c) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	The following are excluded from the provisions of this section and are not required to be registered or obtain licensure under this section:
(1)	Facilities licensed under Chapter 122C or Chapter 131E of the General Statutes;
(2)	Persons subject to rules of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services;
(3)	Facilities that care for no more than four persons, all of whom are under the supervision of the United States Veterans Administration;
(4)	Facilities that make no charges for housing, amenities, or personal care service, either directly or indirectly; and
(5)	Institutions that are maintained or operated by a unit of government and that were established, maintained, or operated by a unit of government and exempt from licensure by the Department on September 30, 1995.
(6)	Adult day care programs certified under G.S. 131D‑6 that have received a grant from The Duke Endowment to develop and demonstrate the incorporation of 24-hour-a-day respite care to adults needing assistance or supervision during the term of the grant; provided that the facilities in which this care is provided shall be inspected at least annually by the appropriate local official or local inspector as provided in G.S. 143‑139(b) for compliance with all applicable provisions of the North Carolina State Building Code."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.